Viking Vidar Review
4.5 / 5.0
Scootoir
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s
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Additional details
Sail Date: Nov 2016
Cabin: Veranda Stateroom
We booked in September when Viking offered discounted prices on Veranda rooms. We liked that this cruise was 9 nights all on the ship so no repacking and moving from ship to hotel.
We arrived mid-afternoon on Sunday and our cabin was not ready but Viking provided a light buffet in the restaurant and since we had not had lunch we were happy. We explored the ship a bit before we were able to get into our room.
I liked the design of the dining room on Viking which had large windows and tables for 6, 8 or I think even 10. Ama had a few booths for four. Food on both was similar in that there were about 3 choices on the menu as well as three options at dinner to have beef, chicken or poached salmon. Ama had a special dining room which you had to reserve for dinner and Viking offered the Aquavit Terrace with lighter meals. We had hamburgers for lunch there one day, my first burger in a decade. Furnishings in the AmaCerto lounge were more comfortable and roomy than Viking’s. Ama offered more sofas in corner grouping and fewer chairs. One advantage is the chairs could be turned around to face a speaker.
Cabin Review
Veranda Stateroom
Cabin B
The Viking agent suggested we choose a 205 sq. ft. Veranda cabin 317 on the top deck. We were very happy with this choice. We had a large queen sized bed with a “real” mattress. The AmaWaterways ship I was on last year had terrible mattresses that were thin and hard, wrapped in what looked like brown vinyl, but this was a comfortable bed for our 9 nights. We didn’t expect to use the Veranda in December but we did step out for some photos and a better view of scenery a few times. It also made the room feel larger.
The bathroom was really compact with a nice shower, a small sink with decent counter space, some shelves and the aforementioned turbo toilet. Towels were large but as with many hotels, there was no place to hang them to dry and reuse. The hair dryer was portable so could be used in the room so I set up the desk as a dressing area. Our habit is for me to shower first and fix my hair while Mr. Wonderful showers.
Thankfully missing was the strange window to the bathroom that AmaWaterways had. It was frosted or clear depending on the way the switch was flipped and had a view right to the toilet. This poor design also lit up the room if one used the bathroom in the night. I couldn’t figure out what this window added.
The bathroom and cabins were well sound-proofed we never heard the TV or conversations from other rooms. I was never wakened by the maneuvering of the ship as I had twice on Ama.
Port Reviews
Basel
Viking offered a tram and walking tour of Basel. We were able to view the city from the tram then walk through the old town past city hall and the cathedral, ending up at the Christmas Market. The dock was very close to the old town making it easy to walk back after lunch.
Strasbourg
Viking bused us from the port at Kehl to Strasbourg where we had a walking tour of La Petit France to the cathedral. On the way our guide lost some of our group when two Viking groups merged at a corner. She did not keep her sign high enough to see in the crowd. We continued into the cathedral on our own and met up with our guide when we heard her on our headsets--she never knew it. We are experienced travelers and were not worried, someone else might have been upset by this.
Strasbourg is a beautiful, walkable city with several Christmas Markets, excellent restaurants and shopping. The half-timbered buildings in the old part of town and the canals are quite picturesque. We stayed in town rather than go back to the ship for lunch and then returned on one of the shuttles Viking offered in the afternoon. I could easily spend a few days in Strasbourg.
Rudesheim
Viking docked here about 5pm and offered a dinner excursion. We decided to walk into town and found our own dinner. We also visited the Christmas market which filled the main streets of the town. Cute small town with several nice looking restaurants.
Koblenz
The ship docked at the Deutches Eck and walking into town was easy. We strolled the pedestrian shopping street and 3 different Christmas Markets. We also had time to relax in a cafe with a drink. Very pleasant town with some interesting modern buildings.
1 Helpful Vote
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